Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-28
.INFAVOR OF PROHIBITION
HON. j. w. KOGAN ON THE TEN
PERANCE QUESTION.


Progress of the Temperance Reform
Some Obi .ctions to Prohibition An
swered - The High License Question
What License Means.
"Woe unto him that giveth his neigh
Dor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him
and makest MIN drunken" Hab. H., 10,
was the text of Rev. j. w. Rogan's SER
mon on prohibition at the First Pres
byterian church last night.
Mr.. Rogan Is a positive Prohibitionist
and his discourse was a powerful argu-
ment in support of the great movement.
In opening he remarked that there
might be among his hearers those
who doubted the propriety OF the SUBJECT
for a Sabbath discourse. AS to this he
assumed all responsibility ana would
cheertulIy meet it at the bar OF God. He
knew OF nothing, he said, short OF being
brought to the feet OF the Saviour that
would be such blessing to the country
as the complete overthrow OF the liquor
traffic. All other evils are dwarfed into
insignihcance by the side OF the giant evil,
intemperance. After giving on this point
the testimonies Of LORD Bacon, Sir
Mathew Hale. DR.. Guthrie, j. g..
Holland, Gladstone and Cannon Farrar,
he arraigned the evil in this language:
THE CURSE OF CURSES.
1t is the curse OF curses. 1t enters
the home OF atfiuence and happl ness and
casts over it its dark and destructive
shadow, turning it INTO a perfect hell. 1t
takes the crown of manhood from the
honored head of the family and drags him
down to II level with the brute. 1t steals
away the natural affections and implaDts
In their stead the passions OF demons. IL
takes the bread out Of the mouths and
clothes from the backs OF children and
leaves them in wretchedness and want.
If it does not hurry It's victim, as it often
does, to the commission Of some disgrace
full crime, it gradually undermines
his constitution and deaden5 his
intellect until it finally sends
his body to the grave and sinks
his soul to perdition, for the book
declares "No drunkard shall inherit the
kingdom of God" We talk of the ruin
that Alexander and Napoleon wrought
when in order 10 reach The goal OF their
ambition they waded through the blood
OF their slaughtered victims. These, he
said, were benefactors of our race when
compared with King Alcohol.
THE TEMPERANCE REFORM.
The speaker then gave a short sketch
of the temperance reform, remarklng that
reached Its present advanced stage.
HerOert Spencer very truly said people
never 90 right It'll they have tried all
possible ways Of going wrong"
In coming directly to the discussion OF
the prohibition policy, he asked: us the
principle a right One?" If by right you
| mean legal right, the question, be said, is
not debatable. Again and again has 1t
been decided by the highest courts of our
land"
Here the speaker cited the celebrated
case carried up from Massachusetts to
the Supreme Court of the United States in
1915, when Daniel Webster and Rufus K.
Choate were retained by the liquor deal
ers, and gave the opinions of Chief Justice
fancy, Justice Grier and Justice Mclean,
all agreeing that the same power which
allowed State to regulate would allow it
to prohibit. But" ne went on, seven If
it is legally right some think it Is morally
wrong looking upon prohibition as a
species of sumptuary legislation aiming
at the rights of Individuals" In reply to
this ne showed that the ground Of prohi-
billion is not that liquor is wrong in itself,
but because OF Its evil effects on society,
and the object is not the indi-
vidual, as is sometimes sup.
posed. 1t is true if prohibition prevails
the drinking usages OF individuals will
be intertered with, but this is incidental
and necessary to the general good as IL
is necessary in the case of an Infectious
disease to quarantine the individual good.
citizens Will willingly Dear an incidental
evil for the sake OF general good.
Is PROHIBITION PRACTICABLE?
ais prohibition practIcableT was the
speakers second question.
He did not know of any law which alb
solutely prevents the crime which it for
bids. The law prohibits THEFT and murder,
and yet men continue to steal and Undue
| their hands in their fellows blood. son
this account" he asked, "are you ready
| to wipe out from the code the statutes
nesigned for the protection of property
i and life? Until you are do not argue
against prohibition, because 1t does not
! prohibit. The truth is, though, laws
| against the sale of liquor are about as
easily enforced as any other prohibitory
| laws"
The speaker held In one hand a little
book of 40 pages filled with Testimonies
from prominent men, showing the won
derful success OF prohibition in Maine
and other States where 1t has been tried
sin proportion" he said, Gas the meas.
ure is more extensively adopted il will
become more effective. Two hundred
thousand saloon keepers with their at.
tacnes cannot long dominate 50,000,0 0(
people. We have now looked at the prac
ticabIlity of the policy. Before doing
this | asked the question, is prohibition
lawfulp L now change the form and ask
lis anything else lawfulP answer EN-
phatically NO."
THE HIGH LICENSE QUESTION.
The speaker said that he is in favor OF
| fighting the traffic in every way. He is
! in favor OF high license il he cannot get
anything better. He objects to it, though,
because it does not remedy the evil, but
only tends TO entrench it in the esteem
of selfish men as source OF revenue and
to give 1t an air Of respectability. Since
prohibition is possible, he held that we
have no more right to allow liquor sol d
at all than to license few men L
monOpoliZe the business OF theft and
murder.
"ThS government, " he added, "has nj
right Tor any consideration TO license
men to engage in a business that robs
their fellow-beings oftheir wealth, OF Their
character, that destroys their bodies ant
damns their souls. 1t is not my purpose
to abuse the saloon keepers. IL is my pur
pose to expose the position OF our govern
ment in cousentiny to remain partner
in such an iniquit0us traffic, and to show
the people its responsibility as voters OF
the great question.
WHAT LICENSE MEANS.
ave can learn lesson as TO ourduty az
government from the celebrated reply o.